If they removed transfer fees, I wouldn’t see much reason for those of us stuck in low-tier ghettos to stick around, except for loyalty. It’s just hard to stay loyal when your server gets relentlessly beat down every week without fail due to population and coverage deficits. 6-1 and worse odds in every fight tend to get old after awhile, no matter how much you like to “fight for the underdog.”
ANet could solve the problem by merging servers or creating alliances, but those solutions won’t make them much money, so we continue to see the slow trickle of players from losing servers transferring to winning servers at the cost of an outrageous transfer fee.
100% no way. This expansion was released straight-up unfinished. It took months to get two raid wings, no legendary armor to this day, incomplete story ended on a bogus cliffhanger with zero resolution, WvW map released with atrocious bugs (that took months to resolve) and with revamp nowhere in sight, horrendous balance issues went unresolved for the entire PvP Season 1, bandaid fixes created an even worse meta for PvP Season 2, the list goes on and on. Scribing is still a mess that costs more than a legendary to level up to maximum. The legendary crafting masteries were horrendously broken for months.
This is ignoring the pre-launch deception about unlocking elite specs as well. What makes anybody think that the next expansion will roll out any differently? Overpromised and underdelivered… with the “fix it later” mentality at the helm.
The only Quaggan-related content that we need is a Chef recipe incorporating Quaggan meat. That would actually give those obnoxious little sea slugs some redeeming value.
In a perfect world, ANet could probably make money from a “PvP-only” version of the game.
But in reality, ANet straight up can’t balance the professions and can’t even get a decent matchmaking system figured out. PvP-only would be dead on arrival.
This game is totally propped up by PvE and cosmetics. ANet can’t get anything PvP-related right. GW1 PvP had some questionable balance moments, but it really went downhill with GW2.
As a solo queue player, instead of getting thrown against 5-man premades, they’re all 3 + 2 premades, every single match.
This game has never needed a real solo queue more than it needs it now.
Any of the PvE meta builds should do it. Have your guildmates watch the guildhall guide videos and you should finish no problem.
Diamond Skin alone wasn’t bad, but the problem came from Cele D/D and after the expansion launch, Tempest. The meta builds had so much access to healing that they could boost themselves back up over 90% at will. Of course, the nerf went way overboard, and now Reapers can spam condis with impunity.
Same problem with Druid. Alone, Druid alone isn’t OP, but combined with the new shout buffs and the meta build (Nature Magic/Beastmastery), they have plenty of access to stun breaks and condi cleanses. Not to mention projectile destruction, water fields, and blast finishers. A well-played Druid is immortal in a teamfight.
The nerf to death from above came from my consideration of other profession’s falling damage traits. It’s the only one that’s unblockable, has CC, and deals damage second to grenade barrage, with a much shorter internal cooldown. The closest comparable falling damage effect would be elementalist’s falling damage trait while using earth attunement, and even then, it deals less damage and isn’t unblockable.
Here’s something for your viewing pleasure:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wmgBjIBdAA (well that was years ago and it’s no longer replicable due to the ICD addition. Just thought it would be something you guys would think is funny)I’ll revert the damage nerf, but keep the removed unblockable property nerf. I don’t want to suggest that the other professions buff their falling damage trait because power creep is rampant in the recent gw2 balance patches.
I can see how defy pain will still overshadow sundering mace.. I’ll bring back the vulnerability but change the mechanic of how it procs. Let me know what you think.
After that video, I can see why Death from Above might become a bit too strong without the internal cooldown!
I also see why you suggest removing the “unblockable” property. If necessary, someone could always bring along Signet of Might…
Good changes, I think your trait suggestions are solid.
I agree with some of the trait buffs, but you mixed in way too many nerfs in attempt to balance them out.
Also, regarding weapon skills, this has been mentioned before, but making Axe 5 a knockback and nerfing the whirl finisher to 20% is pure madness. The entire point of the skill is to proc as many crits (and related effects) and whirl finishers as possible. It certainly isn’t the damage (we all know Axe 1 is superior in that department). If anything, Axe 5 should become a pulsing pull field like Gravity Well to suck enemies into it.
The nerfs you call for on skills like Gunflame are unconscionable. The projectile velocity boost is the main reason the skill actually connects with the target, and the reason why nobody even attempts to use vanilla Killshot seriously anymore.
I like a lot of your trait recommendations, but on the weapon skills, the fact that you have to invent new conditions (that don’t even follow normal condition rules) and new effects like “true damage” probably reveals some fundamental problems with the game as a whole, rather than just the Warrior profession.
Thanks for your comment
I would be interested to know what nerfs are unnecessary.
The idea on a pulling axe 5 is actually not a bad idea. I like it, and made a change to it. Thank you for the suggestion.
Gunflame had everything, range, velocity, short cast time, power, conditions, aoe effects, control, and almost no telegraph to warn players they’re about to get sniped. The design of it screamed poor game balance, so something had to give. What do you suggest to make this more balanced?
Yes, you are true about your last part of your comment. Quite frankly, this game is a balance nightmare.
Thanks for replying to our suggestions and for running an excellent discussion.
I understand you have to nerf some items to compensate for large buffs, but some struck me as unnecessary.
I really like your suggested changes to traits like Peak Performance and Signet Mastery, and I think you balanced them well in light of the buffs received. Also, the suggested buff to Crack Shot (increase range of rifle attacks) would actually convince me to take the trait.
But the nerf to Death from Above? I don’t see it as necessary for PvP or WvW, because of the very situational application of the trait. It never gets used in PvP, and seldom in WvW… usually just as a troll trait when jumping off a keep/tower wall onto some invaders. I can see how it becomes more powerful in PvE with gliding now, but even then it is a pretty situational trait to nerf.
Removing vuln on Sundering Mace? Not a huge nerf, but I didn’t think it was necessary because mace isn’t a dps weapon to begin with. Every little bit of dps helps it out.
A few of these small nerfs seemed unnecessary, because some traits are so weak that you can buff them without needing a balancing nerf, and they will still be relatively undesireable. Overall though, I think you did a good job on the traits.
You’re right about Gunflame being relatively powerful. It’s a reaction to Killshot being so useless in PvP and WvW. At this point I only use vanilla Killshot to try to finish off downed opponents from range. It’s hard to suggest something that would balance it without making it as useless as Killshot. I think a cooldown increase would work, but that would violate the Berserker primal burst concept. Removing the daze would also help. But removing the velocity increase defeats the purpose of Gunflame, imo.
I agree with some of the trait buffs, but you mixed in way too many nerfs in attempt to balance them out.
Also, regarding weapon skills, this has been mentioned before, but making Axe 5 a knockback and nerfing the whirl finisher to 20% is pure madness. The entire point of the skill is to proc as many crits (and related effects) and whirl finishers as possible. It certainly isn’t the damage (we all know Axe 1 is superior in that department). If anything, Axe 5 should become a pulsing pull field like Gravity Well to suck enemies into it.
The nerfs you call for on skills like Gunflame are unconscionable. The projectile velocity boost is the main reason the skill actually connects with the target, and the reason why nobody even attempts to use vanilla Killshot seriously anymore.
I like a lot of your trait recommendations, but on the weapon skills, the fact that you have to invent new conditions (that don’t even follow normal condition rules) and new effects like “true damage” probably reveals some fundamental problems with the game as a whole, rather than just the Warrior profession.
The entire guildhall upgrade system reeks of bad economics. It artificially inflates markets for otherwise worthless items (seaweed, black pepper cactus salad, etc.). I can’t tell if it was designed stimulate the inflation of worthless commodities through farming or if it was designed to just get rid of excesses. It accomplished both tasks, but only through massive amounts of user time wasted via farming.
At least the GW1 guildhall upgrades just cost gold/plat.
blast gyro is even funnier than BoB ;D
I’ll give that a shot, thanks for the recommendation. Blast Gyro + Bomb Kit troll build?
Thanks for the input guys. I had a feeling grenades would work better anyway. Although I find launching opponents with Big Ol’ Bomb very humorous.
I tried experimenting with the Bomb Kit today and failed miserably. Does anyone have any good build ideas for using the Bomb Kit in WvW roaming situations? Or is the Bomb Kit too niche and gimmicky for small group fights?
For me, the last “thrilling” experience in PvE was when they first released Silverwastes. It was fun, challenging, and if you didn’t get a good, organized team, you faced a real risk of failure.
Now, Silverwastes is still fun, but because most everyone has it down to a science, the risk of failure is pretty low.
In terms of loot drops, the thrills are few and far between.
id love an invulnerability and fits the spectral theme with walk and armor.
“All incoming damage is converted into lifeforce”.
Nothing new, just a copy of stance/glint heal but lifeforce to fit theme.
This will be the most unreliable healing skill in the game. On top of using the skill in the right time, you will need to go into Shroud to actually use the health you just got. But Shroud might be on CD!
It’s hard to believe any healing skill could prove more unreliable than Blood Reckoning, but this could be it.
(1) The devs in charge of balance do not play live PvP or WvW;
(2) They don’t read these forums, or if they do, they ignore the suggestions posted herein (for whatever the reasons may be: time, effort, cost, etc.); and,
(3) They rely entirely on internal statistics, data and metrics for balance. They believe that they can achieve balance simply by adjusting DPS numbers.
Why do I have to go through the trade center? This is literally the only MMORPG I recall that has this anti-social system as obligatory.
Why not implement a trading system? It would take no time at all and we wouldn’t get feed by the trading post market. I could sell high priced goods without a huge penalty or risking it with the mail system.
Not paying taxes is more antisocial, i think….
In a real life government + economic system, maybe.
But in this video game, the only purpose of the trading post tax is to destroy excess gold and control the money supply. The money taken by the “tax” doesn’t go anywhere; it just gets destroyed.
(1) A lot of people in GW1 got scammed; and,
(2) Forcing us to use the trading post for most transactions helps ANet manage the economy and control the money supply.
If you like PvE/Fractals so much, you can’t beat the old meta build. Full zerk gear with Phalanx Strength/Forceful Greatsword. If you like blasting through canned content at hyper speed, you can’t go wrong with Warrior. Berserker is a nice twist and fun if you like condi builds, but it recently got nerfed (condi-wise).
If you really want a challenge though, take Warrior into PvP or small group roaming in WvW. Nothing more satisfying cleaving downed Thieves, Guardians, Mesmers that attempted to gank you. And see how smug they act when they eat a full 100b after a nice Skull Crack.
Someone posted a similar question in the Necro forum (might have been OP), and I wrote a long diatribe on ways to counter a Gunflame build.
The only advice I can repeat is: always get up close and personal with a Gunflame spammer; never attempt to run away (unless you can get inside a tower/keep). My favorite thing to do in WvW is Gunflame fleeing enemies in the back.
If you get into melee range and start dropping CCs and condis, you have a much better chance of survival.
We can thank Druids and Dragonhunters exploiting in WvW for this one.
RTL was one of the few reasons to go offhand dagger. That and the fact that at least it isn’t warhorn.
PvE feedback: excellent. Gliding around everywhere is fun, and the new Shatterer fight is more interesting than it was before. Great patch.
PvP feedback: You can’t fix balance issues by tweaking DPS numbers alone. If you read the profession subforums (hard to believe), it really doesn’t show. Warrior and Thief forums have identified two or three core issues each with the professions that could have solved a large number of balance problems (especially lack of build diversity), without any damage buffs at all. These issues have been discussed over and over again. Instead, you focus on tweaking damage/healing numbers. Lazy, lazy, lazy.
WvW feedback: a step in the right direction, but until the population issues are solved, WvW is still a dead game mode for everybody except T1 server players.
You downloaded that hyped up unbalanced kiddy-ish wanna be rpg Korean grinding pay2win arcade hack&slash failgame of ncsoft? Thats funny.
Yet has four times the viewership on twitch…
Yet GW2 was supposed to be oriented towards E-Sports from the start, sigh..
You might be right, but only recently has ANet invested such substantial time and money into E-Sports.
And they inadvertently revealed how much of a joke the PvP game has become, that it continues to be, and that it continually gets worse with each balance patch.
The main problem: ANet still refuses to split balance between the PvE and PvP games. GW2 (and to a lesser extent, GW1) has always been propped up by PvE. So depriving PvE players of fun skills while simultaneously trying to appease the insatiable, never-satisfied, recalcitrant PvP crowd goes against the core business model of the game.
They solved the problem in GW1: let PvE players use fun and powerful skills, while PvP players get a relatively balanced competition with toned-down skills.
Not so with GW2. ANet stubbornly tries to balance two (three, if you count dying WvW) very different game modes with a “one size fits all” miracle solution. It isn’t going to work. This E-Sports nonsense and the PvP league season one debacle just proves how irrational and lazy ANet’s balance strategy has become.
We didn’t even need these token “buffs.” ANet could have solved most of the problems in making Warrior great again by taking two simple measures:
(1) Reversing old nerfs; and,
(2) Moving traits around.
Step One: Reverse the adrenaline decay nerf. Reverse the Vigorous Shouts nerf. Reverse the Inspiring Battle Standards nerf. Reverse the Cleansing Ire nerf. Reverse a slew of minor nerfs that have built up over the last three years.
Step Two: Move Axe Mastery so it doesn’t compete with Berserker’s Power. Move Crack Shot so it doesn’t compete with Warrior’s Sprint. Move Rousing Resilience so it doesn’t compete with Cleansing Ire and Last Stand. Move miscellaneous other traits so that there are actual meaningful trait choices, rather than “no-brainers.”
It’s not rocket science. Besides making Fast Hands baseline, most of the key ingredients of Warrior are already there.
Instead, all we get are dubious “quality of life” adjustments and left-handed buffs that include subtle, unannounced nerfs (Berserker’s Stance, anyone?).
I just don’t understand how a profession that had solid, working mechanics and ingredients three years ago has become more and more broken.
I like the patch overall.
I’ll go into a comprehensive feedback when I get a chance, but I will ask why people were expecting something more substantial? Were you guys expecting enough buffs to make us godlike?
Just curious.
The belief that substantial buffs were on the way was unjustified, given ANet’s history of “balance.” So I guess that expectation was unjustified.
That doesn’t mean that anybody wants “godlike” buffs. We just wanted some action on the core issues we’ve identified, which we’ve been beating a dead horse over for the past six-plus months: Fast Hands, adrenaline decay, Stance dependency, poor trait placement, useless traits, etc.
But hey, I guess we should be grateful we got any “buffs” at all. My bad.
Agree with OP.
The adrenaline decay “buff” (two second grace-period) is pretty much the only one that even attempted to address core Warrior problems, albeit in a weak and half-hearted way.
The Mace/Hammer cooldown buffs are nice and all, but they don’t solve any of the issues we’ve been discussing since the June 23 patch, which are numerous.
The Rifle “buffs” still managed to throw in significant nerfs, depending on your perspective (I relied on piercing from Crack Shot in a number of situations). But I guess the baseline piercing on some of the skills compensates.
Burnzerker got nuked from orbit, but I guess we should have seen that coming.
gee thanks ANET
At least they buffed hammer i guess.
How long do you want?
Back to launch-era adrenaline decay would be nice.
Won an unranked match this morning against a team with two thieves on it.
E-Sports confirmed. Warrior is back.
No longer possible. Crack Shot doesn’t grant piercing anymore. The only piercing attacks now are rifle 3 (Volley), Kill Shot, and Gunflame.
It’s nice that you can bait out condi bombs now, then resist them. Unfortunately, like the others have mentioned, Necros will just butcher us with all the boon corruption.
At least with the old Berserker’s Stance, you could try to anticipate a condi bomb and use that window of time to make your attack. This new version seems just as brainless as the other stances: another passive “oh kitten” button. It leads to a very reactionary and passive playstyle. Like a condi version of Endure Pain.
Stance play is a game of swapping immunities on cooldown… very boring. This change did nothing to solve that, it just gave Necros some counterplay against us.
I like your ideas, very creative and interesting. The elixirs you thought of seem pretty useful and amusing, and the concept of banking shots around your enemy to confuse them is pretty tight.
I think the new Steal ability (swap spots with your target) would be insanely overpowered though, in both PvP and WvW. Imagine in PvP swapping a defender off point and taking their place for an instant decap, or in WvW swapping an opponent off a tower wall and down into your friendly zerg for instant death.
It’s a cool idea, don’t get me wrong, but it would cause many unforeseeable issues.
It’s just an old tooltip that they never removed. The original version of Arc Divider during the beta weekends was Arcing Sear, which dropped a fire combo field on use. They changed it to Arc Divider before launch, because a lot of us (including me) griped about having a condi burst attack on a power-based weapon.
Henry, thank you for this groundbreaking research. I understand the painstaking effort that you must have undertaken to collect the data and calculate just how much of a negative impact that Ranger/Druid pets have upon underpowered PvP players.
ANet, I hope you’re following this topic. Science (courtesy of our man Henry) has now proven the extent of the damage that Ranger/Druid pets are doing to this game.
I called my firework effect, this is what it looks like when u stack 4 effects together, Winters Presence + Bee + Chak egg sac + ghostly infusion
This combo looks like something straight out of a bad anime or Final Fantasy game.
I use the Gunflame gimmick build frequently in WvW. It is basically a pure rushdown build that has to kill quickly (preferably by surprise), or it melts against any form of pressure. I can offer Necros some tips:
(1) The first Gunflame after going Berserk (Warrior turns pure red) is very difficult to dodge, because it gets quickness from the transformation. If you suspect a Berserk Gunflame is incoming, try dropping Corrosive Poison Cloud on yourself to destroy the projectile.
(2) A good Gunflame Berserker using the Smash Brawler trait will get off four Gunflames during one transformation if you let him (15 second transformation, less than five second recharge on Gunflame with the Smash Brawler trait). Corrosive Poison Cloud lasts eight seconds; this can negate at least two Gunflames. The Gunflames that come after the first are slightly easier to dodge, because generally the quickness boon has run out.
(3) Chill, chill, chill. If the Warrior is using Berserker Stance, wait until it drops, then load on the chill. Something ranged and difficult to dodge preferably (Spinal Shivers, Chillblains). Gunflame Berserkers will not have much condi cleanse, so after Berserker Stance runs out, load them up with condis (especially Chill). Chill screws up the fast recharge time of Gunflame. If they’re not even using Berserker Stance (I don’t), they’re very vulnerable to a condi burst.
(4) Get in their face. Death’s Charge will put a ton of pressure on a glassy builds like this. If you get into melee range, it will often force the Berserker to switch to a melee set to escape or fight you off, wasting all that Gunflame potential.
(5) Get in their face (part 2). As a Gunflame user, I want my victims to run away, so that I can Gunflame them in the back. If you rush a Gunflame Berserker and apply pressure, it will definitely disrupt the rotation. Even if you have a eat a Gunflame (and take most of your Shroud down in the process), getting into melee range will give you a very good chance of winning, because the build is essentially pure glass.
I hope these tips help. Unfortunately, Necros are often my prime Gunflame victims, because they don’t carry as many blocks, blinds, reflects, invulns, etc. as other classes. But a smart Necro/Reaper has a good chance of defeating this gimmick build, if they use some of the above tips.
An apt analogy. if a little gross
Thanks. I guess a less vulgar analogy would be this:
It’s like trying to be grateful for the +20 toughness buff to Thick Skin, when the alternative is getting nothing at all. Although Thick Skin is so bad that pretty much is like having nothing at all anyway.
This is one of the cheapest, most horribly thought out -lazy- fixes I’ve seen in a long time.
Absolutely, 100% agree.
When you have to remove features to achieve to some semblance of balance, it demonstrates some fundamental problems with gameplay mechanics.
This game has always had too much “active” defense: constant dodging, blocking, blinding, going invulnerable, etc. With HoT it just went totally overboard, combining immortal bunker specs with bunker stat combinations.
So now they take the lazy man’s way out. Tweak some numbers and remove some stat combos.
Yeah, Engineer hammer is pretty much superior to Warrior hammer in almost every possible way right now. They didn’t mention any hammer buffs specifically, but here’s hoping that they will do something to Rupturing Smash to help out.
I think the term “killshot” was the generic word used for “Rifle burst skill”. It’s very easy to forget to say “gunflame”, and even easier to incorporate both terms under the one word “killshot”.
If there were a distinction to be made it would be IF they differed. Then again, it wasn’t the cleanest of presentation, so it’s anybodies guess XD
Agreed, it was a pretty botched presentation, but the most reasonable inference is that Gunflame will pierce just like Killshot.
Unless we wake up to a very unpleasant surprise on 01/26.
I guess we should be grateful for any buff at all, after three years of nonstop nerfs. But this preview showed us buffs that are so marginal they’re almost laughable. This could only be impressive in light of serious nerfs that tremendously weaken every other class except for Warrior.
It’s like trying to be grateful for a kitten sandwich when your alternative is starving to death.
Us Warriors have made the same argument about Fast Hands for almost a year now… and that hasn’t happened and probably will never happen (especially after today’s preview).
Sadly, only Mesmers and Eles get vital traits baselined.
Until we get the full patch notes, we won’t know the extent of this “sustain” buff. The 40% buff to “To the Limit!” is nice and all, but I doubt it will matter to most builds, unless the nerf to Vigorous Shouts is also softened/reverted. I don’t think anyone has run a serious shout build since before the June 23 patch.
You’re right on Mending, of course. They promised they would make it a Physical skill before June 23, and they reneged hard after that update dropped. I think Mending would be a solid, viable healing option to actually compete with Healing Signet if it got a bonus from Peak Performance, but we shall see…
If anything, the reversion of the nerf to Healing Signet seems like they’re willing to take the easy way out, double down on a broken meta, and take the path of least resistance to “balance” at every opportunity. From what we’ve seen, this will be the most uncreative, number-tweaking effort at “balance” known to man.
It would be nice, but I highly doubt they reversed the adrenaline nerf. Especially after that extremely weak “highlight” reel of a balance preview.
It’s funny how they actually have to remove features in an attempt to balance the sPvP game.
I can’t say I’ll miss celestial builds, but it just seems like there should have been a better solution.
It’s not bad for PvE. If someone runs the numbers and it actually does better than Axe 1 it might be worth it. Definitely better than offhand sword. Not sure about offhand mace.
Still total crap for PvP though. I guess asking for projectile reflect was just too much.
Thanks arenanet voor putting us back in the meta. With the +20hp on healing signet we will have so much more sustain its unbeleavable what you guys did there. This huge buff is even more then we all hoped for. Specialy the +15%andrenaline health is out of this world.
I know you guys read allot of warrior topics and this is a perfect example of it…..
2016: year of the Warrior. Confirmed.
The new Crack shot is a net nerf. I don’t think anybody complained about building adrenaline on rifle, but the piercing feature on every shot actually made the damage worthwhile in zerg situations. Now, you might as well take Warrior’s Sprint.
Engineer rifle auto attack is now straight up superior. At least it pierces.
Watch out guys, that big +20hps on Healing Signet is going to push us into meta territory. We might actually take some retaliatory nerfs for that one.